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Topic Review (Newest First)

10-11-2012 03:13 AM

RcScRs

Good luck on your berried shrimp :P

10-11-2012 02:58 AM

tsonnenl

Three or four berried females is another good sign.

I'm amazed at how different the coloration is between the males. Some have no coloration at all, while others look like low grade cherry females. I know some have said that they take a while to reach full coloration, but how long are we talking? I might as well cull now if breeding is starting to take off.

09-19-2012 03:57 AM

tsonnenl

I've noticed three or four molts over the last few days, so that's a good sign.

They're not especially hungry though. I dropped in one piece of BorneoWild Grow and a small fragment of Barley, and they each lasted about two days. Everyone is happily picking at the moss, wood, and everything else though, so that's probably better anyway.

Now I just need to move it out of my office upstairs and down next to the couch where I can see it more often!

09-13-2012 05:55 PM

bitFUUL

Wow, stunning! One of the better bowls I've seen for sure.

09-13-2012 04:55 PM

KFryman

I love the look! It will be great for breeding the shrimp.

09-13-2012 04:01 PM

Newman

great start to a great bowl

09-13-2012 12:28 PM

toastedtoast

Those crypts are beautiful. The red stems and bright green leaves make a really striking contrast

09-13-2012 06:50 AM

mroys

I'm new to planted tank.
The bowl looks very natural to me.
Hope to see more pics...

09-13-2012 03:58 AM

tsonnenl

At Last - Todd's Walstad Shrimp Bowl

I finished setting up my 3 gallon walstad bowl today so it is finally worth posting about. Thanks to many of you for the inspiration. Here we go.

I set everything up and began the dry start 4 months ago, so this has been a long time coming. About 6 weeks in, right about the time I saw growth taking off, I learned that my 2" soil depth was going to be too deep. I begrudgingly tore it back down and started over, and it has been going ever since. I finally filled it last week, added mulm from my 72, changed the water all week, and added the shrimp tonight.

The general plan with planting was to have a small field of DHG belem near the 'front', a semicircular row of small crypts behind them, and then the Dwarf Sag and Pygmy Chain Swords mixed together filling the rest of the bowl. I had hoped that it would create a stepped look going from foreground to background, while still allowing the rear to be bushy and overgrown. That dream ended when the Dwarf Sag stayed small and the crypt exploded to three times the height that I bought it. The sag should fill in and get taller now that the bowl is flooded as everything competes for light going forward, but I think it turned out ok like this anyway.

Please forgive the iPhone pictures

You can roughly make out the original plan from this angle

Homemade bonsai-style tree. I'm pretty happy with this piece of wood, even if the top branches in this shot didn't end up fitting underwater.

PFR's from Jimko acclimating. They're buzzing all over the bowl now. Hopefully they're not too stressed.